Google cooking iMessage rival: Boosted GTalk app in works?

By Chris Davies
on 10 Jun, 2011

Google is reportedly readying an Apple iMessage and BlackBerry Messenger rival of its own, according to the latest rumors, potentially allowing Android device owners to bypass SMS and MMS messaging on their handsets and tablets. According to the WSJ, Google “has also recently worked on a messaging application, a person familiar with the matter said.”

The rumors have surfaced in the aftermath of Apple’s iMessage announcement, part of the upcoming iOS 5 upgrade to the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Like RIM’s BBM, iMessage will allow for text, photo and multimedia messages, sent to individuals and to groups.

Details on Google’s system are unclear, though of course the company already has Google Talk, its IM app that integrates with Android devices as well as Gmail users in the browser and as a standalone app for PC. The most likely route seems to be enhancing GTalk so that it supports the same advanced functionality as iMessage and BBM, with the added bonus of being compatible with the established desktop ecosystem.

http://www.facebook.com/yourwrist Robert Norris Hills

Its called F*&King emails.

Has anyone else picked up on this? its just a Trucking email service that apple has bodged up and limited to only apple phones and put it into an SMS ui…..and are now like ZOMG LUUK @ US WII SMART!

Why…bother…I don’t know what your plans are like in the US but I have unlimited sms’s with my $40 plan….and they can be sent to any bloody mobile phone.
- Anonymous
  
  google voice, albeit just text communication, is better than imessage because not only is it also free to the voice user, but it can send texts to people with standard cellphones. i don’t get the elitist hype of imessage/bbm. at least with things like google talk it can be anyone with a gmail address, opening up the userbase to millions more, but again google voice can reach out to ANYONE with a cell phone at no cost!